Return of the Emblem Chapter Fourteen: Nine

[Snike]

"That would be Samael and Naomi," Thanatos said, focusing more, "Speaking of evil things, maybe you should explain why that evil involves bystanders."

***

"I'll think about it," Axel said, as they continued along. "As for scars, at least most are relatively easy to hide."

***

"You're a merchant?" Lane asked, looking to Raquel for a moment. "Huh."

[KentaEzren]

Kenta could only just nod yes to what Axel had said.

[Phoenix]

Unlimited Blade Quirks

"Merchant?" Raquel cocked her head at Lane. It took her a moment to recall her conversation with Jethro earlier, before the craziness really got underway. "I ... guess so?" she conceded, not looking all that comfortable with the title. She looked back at Veronika. "I wouldn't even know what the prices are and dad's off somewhere ... but maybe ..." she put a hand on her chin, the battle with Lilith coming to mind.

Zachary raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He hadn't known Raquel to hit up on an idea and then torture everyone with silence.

"Yeah," Raquel's face lit up. "You need one sooner rather than later, so I'll just make you one. I already made a dozen of swords while I was fighting Lilith."

"... 'fighting' Lilith?" Reign winced.

Meanwhile, Zach's face went blank. Did Raquel's emblem powers suddenly make her a swordsmith?

"On second thought," Raquel frowned, "I only know how to make that one sword, and it's a lot bigger than your old one." It weighed two tons and would absorb vasilus spirit springs with the lightest of cuts, but the weight issue alone made everything else irrelevant. No human could handle a sword that massive. "Maybe if I get another sword I can look at, I can try to copy the shape and weight for you," she offered, not looking or sounding confident. She was certainly willing to try.

Archer Problems

"I dunno," Olga shrugged, "you seem to be doing fine all things considered. I mean you're not dead. Archers always get their asses handed to them when the enemy closes in ... and usually die. And unlike them, you don't wear enough armor to even come close to addressing the ass loss problem."

She thought to call out to Niko like she did in the stables, then thought better of it. They wouldn't lose much time just doing a thorough search. The last thing wanted was to annoy the soldiers when they'd let her back here.

Hello

It seemed like the pegasus knights had finally noticed them, that or they were finally convinced the fortress had more guests. Two of them swooped down in front of the group, leaving enough space between them and the latest arrivals to be able to react to any preemptive attack.

"Remember," Anna half turned to remind the group, "let me do the talking." Annoyed with how cordial she was going to have to be in a situation that didn't quite warrant it, she gave a small friendly wave to the pegasus knights as she approached them.

"State your business," the one on the left said.

"I'm Anna, the representative from Weyland Enterprises. I left to pick up some specialists for the artificial hunt." She carefully gauged the slightly confused looks on their faces. They definitely hadn't gotten the memo. To be fair, she hadn't made a big deal out of her leaving the fortress. "If you need to confirm who we are, go get Lieutenant Colonel Taylor or the general herself."

"Better idea," the pegasus knight on the right said, "we'll bring you up to the gatehouse and not have our superiors come out here into the open inadequately protected."

"Fine by me," Anna smirked. They could be as protective as they wanted, as long as they got back inside. They had a plan to finalize and implement and they didn't have all day.

No Honor

"He's here right now?" Regula's face turned white as her hair and feathers. "He's going to be upset with us ..."

Valeria focused on Thanatos while Beatrix tried to calm their younger sister. "Would you consider his actions evil if innocent people weren't harmed by them? If not, then wouldn't that make Samael's darker deeds honorable, at least to some degree? They're not meant to be honorable actions," she hung her head, "just ... effective ones."

[KentaEzren]

He had followed them without saying a word. "Well... At least they have some good ideas." Kenta thought to himself, "I wonder if they know about my map... I should keep it secret." He kept following them, not doing anything to attract attention.

[-Cynthia-]

Mess Hall

Well this is different... Veronika thought, raising an eyebow. "You can forge swords now? Like...out of steel?" she asked Raquel. I'm beginning to wonder what the emblem can't do at this point.

Northern Gatehouse

When was the last time I was in one of these...thirty years? More? Ursium hasn't changed as much as it should have... Lysandra thought to herself, staying quiet for the time being.

[Snike]

"Some of them would be considered potentially honorable, but this business," Thanatos said, indicating Reina, then the door, "certainly isn't. And you could only argue that it would be effective if you would be able to bring down your enemy permanently, which isn't possible anymore."

, ***

""Would this work?" Lane asked, as he unhooked his sheathed sword. "Even if not, I'd recommend forging somewhere else, where it won't cause a scene."

Edited May 1, 2016 by Snike

[KentaEzren]

Kenta only looked around as they traveled through. He kept his map rolled up and in secret, but he knows he's gonna ask about it later.

[Snowy_One]

"I know, but it almost feels like I am going into battle naked and they hold a blood grudge against me at times. It is not like I can just grab a suit of heavy armor and shoot as well as I am now. I would be little more than a hunk of metal with girl inside. Still, yes, I am alive. I hope to continue this trend. People would miss me if I died. I hope."

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

Raquel supposed whether or not Lane's sword was a good template depended on Veronika's preference rather than hers. As far as where to try and forge a new sword for the woman, Raquel didn't have any preferences. She also didn't know any places, either. She could only shrug at first. "Is this the kind of sword you can use?," she asked Veronika, "I mean comfortably."

Barracks

"Be careful with those 'feelings'," Olga said pointedly, "remember if the enemy really wanted you dead bad enough to make a difference, they'd poke you a few more times once you're on the ground to make sure the job's done." She looked around but didn't see Niko, yet. She was about ready to bring the search in this area to an end one way or another by simply calling out to the sheep and waiting a few seconds for a response. "Why do you have to hope people would miss you?" Olga glanced back at Robin, curious. She had family, didn't she?

Northern Gate House

The pegasus knights escorted them just close enough for the foot soldiers to take over and then got back to their sky patrol. They were let into the gate house but had to stand around for a moment while someone went to retrieve an officer who would actually recognize them. "So, is this the first time either of you have been inside a place like this?" Anna asked Kenta and Lysandra.

Reina's Room

The house was rocked by a sudden tremor again, and Beatrix and Regula curled up together. Valeria eyed Thanatos carefully. "What enemy are you talking about?" It couldn't be the gods, she knew; no one had ever made any mention of trying to kill them, and for good reason. If he wasn't on about the gods, though ... who?

Reina glanced out the door, wondering what caused the sudden shaking. Whatever it was, it couldn't be anything good.

Neighborhood

"Are you done yet?" Samael asked, glancing contemptuously at the fresh crater beside him.

"Are you dead yet?" Naomi countered from her high perch.

Samael grinned softly. "It's like you think attrition is on your side here. Drop that assumption and show me what you're really made of." He took advantage of the lull in combat to pop his right arm back into place. He'd been grazed by one of the coffins before the latest explosion and it left a lasting impression to say the least.

"I just need to slow him down a little bit more," Naomi noted to herself. There was no point in enacting her plan until she was sure Samael wouldn't try to weasel his way out of it. She had to be absolutely certain he would choose instead to stand his ground. Just a little longer ...

[Snike]

"Well that part of the road's done for," Thanatos said, frowning. "In any case, who I am speaking of should be obvious, given why you're here.Or did Samael not tell you what his other objective was?"

[-Cynthia-]

Mess Hall

Veronika examined the sword carefully. Well, nothing is going to be exactly the same as what I used to have and this looks to be about the same dimensions. "I think this will work. Thank you for the assistance, mister...?" she trailed off, turning towards the man who offered the blade. I wonder where Raquel picked him up anyway...not the most pressing matter, but still.

Northern Gatehouse

"Not my first time, though last time I was in an Ursian gatehouse I was clapped in irons. I had a rather...temperamental disposition in my younger years," Lysandra said with a wry smile.

[KentaEzren]

"Well, yes. I lived in Kayoyama for such a long time. I never really left home much." Kenta sighed.

[Snike]

"My name is Lane Novak," the man said, with a slight bow. "Pleasure to make all of your acquaintances."

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

"I'm Zachary Fairweather," the thunder mage introduced himself. He wasn't quite close enough to shake hands, not without looking silly, at least.

"Reign," the seated nomad spoke next.

"Gabbie," came a voice from behind the recent arrivals. Raquel looked to see Gabriella approaching, the door slowly closing behind her. She certainly seemed to be in a good mood.

Raquel returned her attention to the sword. Already, reality was starting to fall apart around her as she began to focus closely on it. Everything seemed to slow down and the room grew dimmer, as if the lights were being blown out one by one. Before long all she could see was Lane's blade in her hands ...

Gatehouse

Anna cocked an eyebrow. "I didn't take you for the trouble making type," she said, reevaluating the woman on the spot.

Gabriel laughed. "People change," he offered, "some more than others."

Someone was coming toward the gatehouse from inside the fortress, someone Anna recognized. He was a blond man with a goatee and a red coat that was more or less Ursian army standard. He waved and smiled as he reached the gate. "Welcome back," he greeted, "brought some friends with you, I see."

Anna forced a smile. "We're going to need all the help we can get to deal with those artificials."

Miguel motioned at someone out of view, presumably to open the gate and let them the rest of the way inside.

[-Cynthia-]

Mess Hall

"Veronika, pleased to meet you Lane," she said to the man before turning her attention to Raquel. I'd kind of prefer traditional forged steel, but she seems to be going through a lot of effort for me here...

Gatehouse

And some for the worse, some for the better, Lysandra added to herself as they were escorted along. "Thank you, young man," she said to the soldier with a nod and smile.

[Snike]

Well, that was easy. Axel remained silent as Anna successfully managed to get their group access back into the fort. Hopefully this would be the end of their problems...

***

Lane nodded to each of the mercenaries as they introduced themselves, before, like the others, returning his attention to Raquel. Who was now intently focusing on his blade. He sighed. So much for moving away from a public view.

[Snowy_One]

"I do not seem to be well-off in the way of building relationships. My mother would, no doubt, but my father would be furious I even considered helping an 'Urswine' and likely disown me and my brother... My brother would sooner dance upon my grave and sing a jaunty tune before attempting to assassinate Veronika to seal the deal. Zack used to be my friend but, ever since he came back, he appears to have done his best to avoid me. Others seem... I am not sure. Maybe I doubt myself too hard, or maybe I feel uncomfortable approaching others, but I seem to be alone often. With Chip now, hopefully, that will change."

[KentaEzren]

"Somehow I feel this isn't over yet... Not for a long shot." Kenta thought, still following them and clutching to the little piece of paper he called a map. "Anna, you seem to have some history with these people... mind explaining the story?" He asked.

Edited May 6, 2016 by KentaEzren

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

Zachary eventually noticed that Raquel seemed to be staring at nothing. The second he was about to ask her if she was alright, a single golden spark raced up from her freehand, and then just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. It was so fast, he could only remember the image as her just barely grasping a bolt of lightning. "What's she doing?"

"I'm sure it's harmless," Gabbie said dismissively.

Zach wasn't sure if she'd seen the bolt that just shot up from her hand, but that hardly seemed safe to him. As the resident thunder mage, he knew a thing or two about stray bolts and how troublesome they could be. It was ever so subtle, but Raquel was beginning to tremble. Whatever she was doing, it was taking a great deal of effort on top of her entire focus.

Suddenly there was another bolt. It leaped up at a slightly different angle. Zach had a question for Lane specifically this time, but was cut off by a quick series of arcs that stayed put this time. A golden haze began to appear and thicken around the electric frenzy until it all collapsed into endless black. Raquel's face began to twist with the effort. "Have to ... try something different," she bit out as Oblivion appeared just in front of her. It floated there, an unholy two ton marvel of craftsmanship, until finally, Raquel came out of her forced trance. Zachary leaped back on reflex as the dark blade came crashing down and shattered the wood beneath it. It was loud, but it was doubtful anyone who wasn't just outside or in the kitchen would have heard it among all the ambiance.

"I'm sorry," Raquel squeaked, just as shocked by the crash as Zach had been. "I think it'll be easier if I just work off of this than try to make something new from scratch," she hurriedly explained.

Courtyard

"My pleasure," Miguel smiled at the thanks. The smile faded a little too quickly, though. "Watch yourselves in there ... plenty of the wounds are still fresh, if you know what I mean."

"There's not much to tell," Anna shrugged at Kenta, "I don't usually work alongside military types but Invictus ... anyway, we tried teaming up to lure out Invictus, but they were planning to attack this fort the whole time so things got ridiculous really fast."

"Could have been worse," Gabriel murmured to himself.

The gate came up and for all intents and purposes they were inside. "Okay," Anna turned to the group. "I'm heading back to the stables to gather up my things. I'll meet you in the mess hall. If you see Raphael or anyone who looks like they're from Raquel's group, point them to the mess, too."

"Alright," Gabriel shrugged. So anyone who definitely didn't look like a soldier, then.

Barracks

Olga was going to ask about part of Robin's explanation, but the mention of Chip made her giggle. "Setting your sights a bit low, aren't you? Then again, who am I to talk? My best friend is a sheep." Speaking of which ... "Hey! Niko!" Screw it, Olga decided. Even as the nearby soldiers turned to see who the hell was yelling behind them, Olga was already on the look out for her woolly pet.

Reina's Room

Valeria seemed to be trying to figure out who Thanatos was referring to on her own but came up unsure, still. "He ... doesn't tell us everything," she finally admitted.

[Snike]

"You know, it might just be better if you put that away and loan Veronika a sword from your shop," Lane said, once he'd recover from the surprise of the splintered floor. "Forging weapons is handy and all, but you don't have enough practice yet."

***

Axel grunted and began to head towards the mess hall. The sooner he could get inside that building, the better. Or, well the less vexing.

***

"Evidently," Thanatos said. "Since he hasn't told you he was also here to see to what his hitmen could not."

Edited May 10, 2016 by Snike

[KentaEzren]

Kenta then looks at Gabriel in confusion. "W-whos Raquel?" He stuttered.

[-Cynthia-]

Mess Hall

Veronika warily watched Raquel proceed with the forging. I didn't even know magic could do this sort of thing... "I would prefer something stable if possible," she added, still eyeing the mess carefully.

Courtyard

"I was wondering that myself...they must have some reason to be hunting down criminal organizations," Lysandra said to Gabriel.

[KentaEzren]

Kenta sighs at what Lysandra said. "Hope they're with us... because I feel we could have walked into a trap." He told them.

[Snowy_One]

"I thought it was a mug of beer." remarked Robin as she watched Olga head off and reached up to idly pet Chip's tail. "Do you have some idea of where he might be then?"

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

Stability wasn't the problem, Raquel knew, but rather usability. She wasn't sure how to get rid of its spirit spring absorbing properties just yet, but if she could cut down on its incredible weight and change its shape, Veronika could at least wield the blasted thing until there was a suitable replacement. She knelt down over the dark blade and began to focus in on it.

"Raquel," Zachary winced, "that looks just like Ascension ... just black. How'd you learn how to make that?"

"... well Hypnos helped me ..." Raquel said, glancing up for a moment, "... more than I realized at the time." It was probably too much to hope that Zach's question would be the last one that could bring any attention to the fight.

"Can it kill vasili like Lilith's sword can?"

Raquel hesitated. "Yyyes ...?" Good luck striking one of them with this two ton paperweight, though ...

Courtyard

"Relax," Gabriel soothed, "there's no trap. All the those got sprung last night, in a sense," he said, alluding to the more violent parts of Anna's story. He held up a hand and leveled his finger at the mess hall. It was partly obscured by all of the tents standing between them and the building, but its upper structure was clearly visible. "Just head over there. That's where this meeting's happening, looks like."

Tank

Anna didn't quite make it back to the stables before she noticed one of the tanks sitting at the edge of the tents. There were a few soldiers near it, along with someone she recognized, someone she'd told the others to be on the lookout for. "There he is," she said, breaking into a jog to reach Raphael.

He saw her coming and gave a small wave and a smile as she quickly cut down the distance between them. "How's the whole anti-artificial thing going?"

"Slowly," Anna glowered, "but I'm ready to settle on a plan, but there's no sense on coming up with anything if no one's around to hear and help iron out the details. You're a part of this mission too, so I need you at the mess hall."

"Okay," Raphael replied with a half shrug.

"Oh and be sure to grab any of our people you find on the way there," Anna added before turning to leave. She stopped halfway, a thought freezing her in place. "Where's Arietta?"

Raphael pointed a thumb up at the tank's turret. "In there."

Anna's eyes went wide with surprise. Even for Weyland employees, it seemed extremely unlikely for them to let a civilian into one of their tanks. There had to be some notable modifications they made to the designs they bought from Weyland. Anna winced. "How ...?" The context seemed obvious enough to her.

Raphael gave a full shrug this time. "The engineer's got a thing for blondes."

"Ah," Anna said, not totally convinced, but willing to accept his answer. Another thought occurred as she looked at Raphael's blond head. "Wait, her or you?"

Raphael took a moment to consider that. "Now that you mention it, I'm not entirely sure."

Barracks

"Any place we haven't thoroughly checked," Olga called back as Chip glanced down at his tail. No harm done, so he went back to keeping an eye out for danger and opportunities to sate his growing boredom.

"THERE," Olga's cry startled the soldiers. "He's over here!"

Niko moved out from between two cots at the back left edge of the sleeping quarters and looked up expectantly at his owner. "So you were staying in here, then." He probably caught some of what went down in here earlier, she noted to herself.

Reina's Room

Valeria seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. She might have missed the latest explosion, but her sisters certainly hadn't. "If I'm not mistaken, there isn't anyone here he would be interested in killing ... save one, perhaps?" she frowned, wondering just who was causing all of those blasts. Samael's style of fighting didn't shake things up like that.

Edited May 15, 2016 by Phoenix